Components Of A PV Solar System
A solar power system consists of a number of critical components which help to produce electricity, store electricity and use electricity. The flow of electricity produced from the solar panels must be controlled and regulated in order to harness this produced power and utilize the battery solution in the most efficient manner (if this option is used). The solar panels are mounted to the top of your home or building and then connected to inverters which are connected (via a meter) to the utility grid. You may also have micro-inverters, a mounting system and other items such as breakers and wires. Maintenance of each component is important to ensure the system is fully functional at all times.
The main components in solar power systems are:
- Solar Panels
- Inverters
- Batteries (for power storage)
Solar Panels
The solar photovoltaic (PV) panels are the most important aspect of your system. These are what actually produce the electricity, by generating energy from the sunlight and converting it into an electrical curent. The cells in each PV panel produce usable electricity.
Solar panels are most efficient and deliver the best results when they are north facing, pointed directly at the sun, at an optimal angle and not blocked by trees or or any other shading. The effectiveness of solar panels also depends on the weather and your location.
Inverters
After the solar panels, you must have an inverter. Without the inverter the direct current (DC) electricity produced from the PV solar panels would not be useable by your household appliances nor would it be possible to feed it back into the grid. The inverter converts the DC output into 240V alternating current (AC). It is this alternating current taht allows you to operate all of you electronics and home appliances.
Understand that solar panels do not stop generating electricity when the household no longer needs power, i.e. when no appliances are being used. Any excess capacity is either fed back to the grid through a digital meter or stored in a battery storage solution for use at a later time. Battery storage is becoming more and more popular as technological advancements improve efficiency in storage and allow the price to come down. Inverters are used in conjunction with all solar battery solutions.
High quality inverters are a much better option over the lower quality inverters and panels that have been used in the last few years.
Batteries
Solar battery solutions have reduced in cost over the last few years making it much easier to make the decision to invest in storage. Your investment will pay for itself in less time than ever now, making a system with battery storage one of the best investments you can make. In fact most solar solutions now include a battery storage solution from the start.
Many existing grid connected systems around the country are being fitted with battery storage, converting these existing systems to a hybrid solar power system in order to take advantage of time shifting.
If you are looking at this as an possibility, we suggested you discuss the option of a battery storage solution with your installer.
To read more about solar power advantages and different solar options please see our home page.